We are delighted that our Driver Hazard Warning app has been shortlisted as ‘Innovative New Product of the Year’ at the 2019 Commercial Fleet Awards, which will take place on October 8 at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham.
Background:
With more than 2,000 bridge strikes each year in the UK, millions of pounds are lost to hauliers and the wider economy. Microlise has developed a new Driver Hazard Warning (DHW) application which combines innovative new data science techniques with potentially the most comprehensive bridge database in Great Britain.
Bridge strikes and the delays and disruption they cause, are of increasing concern to train and road users and can become a significant issue for fleet operators. In addition, vehicle owners can be held accountable for the associated damage and passenger compensation costs relating to bridge strikes.
Our solution:
The DHW app utilises a UK-wide database of collated local authority, crowd-sourced map data and Microlise’s own Big Data. This information is then applied to a bespoke map layer, that determines hazard routes and alerts drivers accordingly.
DHW provides an onscreen visual and audible warning as height, weight or width hazards are approached. The location and nature of the hazard is provided, and the direction of travel is taken into account. Warnings cease when a driver diverts and is no longer on a direct route to the hazard. Drivers can enter their vehicle profile into the device, to ensure that only relevant hazards are pinpointed.
The DHW app runs in the background on the Microlise in-cab device, and only becomes active when a vehicle approaches a relevant height, weight or width hazard. Sat-Navs and other apps can still be used as normal.
Key benefits at a glance:
- Improves safety
Drivers, other road users and rail passengers are better protected, as DHW reduces the likelihood of bridge strikes and other incidents relating to weight and width hazards.
- Reduces risk for fleet operators
Increases safety and operational efficiency and reduces the risk of driver injury, liability claims, increased insurance premiums and long-term reputational damage.
- Increases driver awareness
To ensure warnings are useful to individual drivers, the system allows them to configure vehicle dimensions before setting off – a task which also aims to increase the number of drivers who check the height of their vehicles. Furthermore, drivers are informed how far away they are from the hazard, and given any relevant dimension information – useful for situational awareness and forward planning.
- The hazard database
Through thorough research and close collaboration with other players, the Microlise team has also created, potentially, the most comprehensive hazard database in existence for England, Wales and Scotland.
Our team will be present at the Commercial Fleet Awards in October, where we will hope to scoop the ‘Innovative New Product of the Year’ award!
